posted 01-25-2004 09:34 PM            

When President Bush travels around the United States, the Secret Service visits the location ahead of time and orders local police to set up "free speech zones" or "protest zones," where people opposed to Bush policies (and sometimes sign carrying supporters) are quarantined. These zones routinely succeed in keeping protesters out of presidential sight and outside the view of media covering the event.

When Bush went to the Pittsburgh area on Labor Day 2002,65-year-old retired steel worker Bill Neel was there to greet him with a sign proclaiming, "The Bush family must surely love the poor, they made so many of us."

The local police, at the Secret Service's behest, set up a "designated free speech zone" on a baseball field surrounded by a chain-link fence a third of a mile from the location of Bush's speech.

posted 01-27-2004 10:34 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Bhang:
What good is protesting an event or person if that event or person cannot hear or see you?

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While I don't really agree with the practice or need of moving unarmed demonstrators (pro or con) so far away from the president, I'm not sure how significant it really is in a practical sense.

The president--be it Clinton, Bush, or anyone else--isn't going to change policy because of a few protesters. Heck, even hundreds of thousands of protestors in the street didn't change Iraq policy--and I don't think it should have.

posted 01-27-2004 10:53 AM            

it's not so much THE protest that individuals concerned with personal liberty concern themselves with, but the RIGHT to protest for redress of grievances, that is at the forefront of concern.

Two very different responses in that article I posted. First one from someone I can respect:

Pennsylvania District Judge Shirley Rowe Trkula threw out the disorderly conduct charge against Neel, declaring, "I believe this is America. What ever happened to I don't agree with you, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it?"

Excellent!!! Shirley, Give em' hell!!! This IS AMERICA!

Now let's compare Shirley's pro-freedom ideology with this "fascist-like individual" whom IMO apparently has little if any respect for American values enshrined in the 1st amend:

When the police attack sparked a geyser of media criticism, Mike van Winkle, the spokesman for the California Anti-terrorism Information center told the Oakland Tribune, "You can make an easy kind of a link that, if you have a protest group protesting a war where the cause that's being fought against is international terrorism, you might have terrorism at that protest. You can almost argue that a protest against that is a terrorist act."

BULL$*&T! ONe might have gotten away with arguing that under Stalin or Hitler, maybe under Saddam or some other totalitarian regime, but Mike needs to realize this IS still America, the Fascists still haven't yet TOTALLY burned The Bill of Rights, and people from ALL political spectrums still believe in REAL freedom, the kind our OWN ancestors died defending and many still defend.

Note- "You can make an easy kind of a LINK..." "You can ALMOST argue that a protest against that is a terrorist act."

I can ALMOST here the Fuher now!

SmT

posted 01-28-2004 12:35 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by letxa2000:
even hundreds of thousands of protestors in the street didn't change Iraq policy--and I don't think it should have.

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This just goes to show how the people's opinion does not matter when there is a predisposed agenda. There have been millions of protestors world wide since the inception of the war on Iraq.

quote:

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Originally posted by letxa2000:
I support the right of the people to peacefully assemble, but I would be dismayed if the president adjusted policy because of mob pressure.

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Mob pressure??? Our current administration behaves as if THEY are the mob. Due to our ignorance, we've given them cart blanche to rape and pilage any Constitutional laws that stand in the way of creating global governance. If we are against this exploitation, our voices MUST be heard. There are only two ways I know of to do this - through petitions or protests.

quote:

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Originally posted by Show-Me Truth:
I can ALMOST here the Fuher now!

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posted 01-28-2004 03:32 AM            

quote:

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While I don't really agree with the practice or need of moving unarmed demonstrators (pro or con) so far away from the president, I'm not sure how significant it really is in a practical sense.

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Imagine the president is having a confrence and protesters are near by. A reporter might hear what a protester says or may read one of the protesters signs and realize that what that protester is saying is a valid concern. Then the reporter asks the president and the president is then pressured to address the issue without some pre-written speech and a leauge of writers to tap dance around these issues.

Whatever happened to powerful thinkers and speakers? What ever happened to spontaneous speaking and clever men? What happened to being challenged by the people in an open public debate?

You see it's important for all points of view to be brought to the president's table. All conspiracies aside, the president is THE MAN, he should hear a group of people who have real issues and by doing so in public, THE MAN is forced to live by his words or BY THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE be impeached.

I mean, let's imagine that ol' Bush was giving a press confrence and I got in and said something like:
"Mr. President, how do you feel about the Chemical Vapors that are being sprayed all over cities throughout the United States, killing hundreds, if not, thousands of people."
All over national telivision. He would be forced to say something. And then the public would be wondering what I was talking about and they would become involved and at the same time you break through the censorship of the media.

So you see

it's very important that these people are seen and heard, even if they are just angry because someone stopped making their favorite flavor of Kool Aid.

posted 01-30-2004 12:12 AM            

influence things all the time. Everything from buying habits to politics to religion to war you name it, the old saying about a handful of dedictated people...